How it was when the snow came

Liverpool has always been lucky when it comes to weather. What the rest of the country gets Liverpool doesn't get it as bad. The first picture is the morning after the snow came thick and cold. OK maybe not as thick as the rest of the country but thick for Liverpool.

Weather wise Liverpool never gets what the rest of the country gets. What you see is as bad as it gets and would we have it any other way no.

The picture you can see if you look out of the window you can see the snow much later in the same day.

Flying high

I was flying at 38,000ft back to Liverpool when i looked out of the window when i saw the sun setting. A few minutes later i looked again and the picture shows just what i saw a magical sunset.

iPad just what a pain

I have had computers going back to the first Amstrad computers for my video hire business and before that I had Sinclair Spectrums. I ditch Windows on my desktop computers when Ubuntu Linux was at version 4.10 when I first tried it. Ubuntu 4.10 and was released on 20 October and from then on I haven't looked back I never have many problems and my system does not suffer from Viruses. So what's this got to do with IPAD lots.

The IPad is easy to use and when you buy one its main consumer target is people who have at least some computer knowledge. If having some knowledge then why does the box the IPad come in not have a huge manual telling you how to use it.

With the knowledge of computers I have at best I have should not have problems considering the IPad is simple to use. If I try to put pictures on my Blog I click on the symbol on my Blog as I normally do from my desktop. All I get is to add pictures from my Google Archive, my phone, a URL and lastly From this Blog then why can't I post pictures from my IPAD?...

While away from home I still keep my Blog up to date but I can never find a way to include pictures. Tonight I have spent hours trying to find a way to make IPad and my Blog work together. I suppose I will have to wait till I get home on Friday.

What a clever idea

I had a request on Facebook from someone who wanted to be a friend. I took a copy of the picture, what a clever idea to make a pool to keep cool in.

Now if that's not a clever idea i don't know what is. What better way to spend an afternoon in the sun.

News about an ex soldier friend

After leaving hospital yesterday I walked to a different bus stop than the one I use normally. I noticed someone walking on the other side of the road who I knew it was an ex soldier friend of mine. As he saw me he had a big smile on his face and came over to me. It is now seven years since we last met and it was good to see him after all this time.

My friend had left the army due to injuries he suffer mainly to his shoulders and an arm. If fairness to the army they did all they could to help him but it came to a point where there was nothing more that could be done. Due to advances in medical care and treatment he has now had five operation to his shoulders and one new shoulder joint and more surgery to come.

My friend was always of the opinion that life was how it was but the difference that seven years makes is remarkable. I am glad to say that the army has at long last settled his claim for the injuries he suffered and when he told me that I said and how much have you got left. I said that because he had a habit of always looking after others instead of himself. His reply I spent every penny on buying a house and now he has no worries.

I promised to go and see him for a cuppa when I had the time when I next come over. At the moment my time is taken up at the hospital seeing my Mum.

Extra mature cheddar cheese

I only have four days to go and I have been out to get the one thing I like to take back after my travels and that's Extra mature cheddar cheese. I know I won't run out of cheese because I now have in my freezer 9 blocks of extra mature cheddar cheese all 750/ 800g. So why do I want to take more back you may ask, well I would rather keep a stock of cheese than risk running out.

I like putting cheese into my egg poacher before I put my egg in, also cauliflower cheese. So what's wrong with cheese in Portugal well nothing but I just prefer what I enjoy. Today I got three blocks each this time 800g and only cost £3.90 each. Lidl have mature cheddar from Northern Ireland but it costs more than twice what i pay on my travels to Liverpool.

Iberianspices

Below is a message I have had to post on various Forums and advertising site to let people know I won't be at the markets I normally go to. I do have two markets before I fly back so I will get a chance to let lots of my friends know how things stand with regards going home to look after my Mum.

Due to ill health I have to go back to the UK to help look after my seriously Ill Mother. I will not be attending markets at Miranda do Corvo, George and Dragon and Barril de Alva.

Sunday the 4th March and Saturday the 11th March will be the last two markets I can attend. These markets are Miranda do Corva and George and Dragon. 

Sorry for the inconvenience but Mum comes first.

Please let friends and family you know who would normally come to the markets who may not see this message that I will be back soon.

Sorry for any inconvenience.  

UK Comedians

have you ever seen Comedians on TV almost every comedian has during his act has a swipe at Liverpool. Everybody from Liverpool just laughs at the Comedians because the can't come up with anything new.

This post came about because myself and one of my sisters are in a Liverpool hospital visit my Mum. Each time we visit we take Mum for a walk but today we couldn't find a wheel chair so. Being Scousers as in all the Comedians jokes we robbed a wheelchair  from another ward to go on out daily walk with Mum.

Being good Scousers we will return the wheelchair after we have made use of it. It has come up while I have been at one of my markets some has said about don't go to Liverpool in your car because they will rob your hub caps. No I say why would we rob the hub caps when we could rob the car.

Fat Fat and more Fat

I am in Liverpool at the moment and I am shocked. I had seen a TV program about the problem with obesity and health problems associated with the condition. During previous trips to Liverpool I hadn't noticed how many Fat people there where. OK I am a few pounds overweight but only a few pounds and I have been congratulated at how I have done well shedding about a stone I needed to loose. But what I saw while traveling from the airport into the city centre was appalling. Maybe I should be politically correct an call people Obese but call a spade a spade they're are Fat.

I am visiting my Mum who almost 93 years of age is in hospital. You would think the hospital would offer there staff who are overweight help as an example to others with a weight problem. Outside of Mum's room is the fattest nurse I have seen but being Fat seems normal but not to me.

I have to admit I am an addict and I face my addition every day, I am addicted to Fresh Cream cakes and I haven't had a single cake yet. Being in Portugal it's easy you can't get fresh cream but now back in Liverpool I will try to avoid cream cakes if any kind.

Ryanair

the very word Ryanair brings out the worst in some people, often it's moan after moan and the latest was about the luggage going in the hold. What Ryanair have done is changed the rules about the luggage. All luggage now has to go in the hold unless you pay for priority boarding when you can take it on the plane.

I have flown with Ryanair many many times and the main problem has always been people trying to get all there bags in the overhead lockers. While all this is going on it takes up so much time while the cabin crew try to get all the lockers closed.

But today Wow what Ryanair have done has made so much difference. The plane was boarded so much quicker and the time it took to get going was reduced a lot. Ten minutes early is common on the Porto to Liverpool but today we arrived 23 minutes early. A lot of that saving was of so few people now taking baggage onto the plane and I for one will look forward to my return trip to see if it's as good a flight. By the time I got from the plane to go through Customs the baggage was just coming  onot the carrousel and my bag was one of the first.

The sad part of this trip is my Guinness sport bag I have used from September 2009 to date is now redundant and I need a case. I borrowed one till I get time to buy one for myself but the bag didn't have a lock. Instead I used a cable tie and it worked perfect,and I have had things missing from my bag on a trip to Spain that's why I used a cable tie.

Back in Liverpool

liverpool was for most of my life home but not now my heart is in Portugal a and to be honest I would rather not to have left for a trip back to the place of my birth.

This trip was one I tried to avoid for the best of reasons or for me they where the best of reasons. I cast my mind back to when I took my Dad to see his sister dying from Lung cancer. I was persuaded to go and say goodbye but being a coward if coward being the right word I didn't want to see her. I had great memories of visits to her house but after going to say goodbye all I saw was a skeleton lying in her bed, I was shocked. That was my last memory of such a wonderful Auntie and most of all she was a good friend when needed.

Now we have gone full circle and this time I have to Man up my wonderful Mum is seriously ill. Mum is now nearly 93 years of age and the hardest thing was when she said that she has had her time and she just wants to go. After four hip operations her quality of life is not good and won't get any better. Mum apart from family now has help come in each day.

I have now made the trip over and on Tuesday morning I will see my Mum. I would love to see Mum recover and get home but now is not the time for dreams it's time to face what may happen but hope it doesn't.

And here is how it's done

i failed to pay attention to woodwork at school something I dearly regret. My big problem now is getting the wood I need to carry on working on my house. I can now get supplies of Chestnut but I can't find supplies wide enough for my needs so I have to make my own wide enough.

What I mean by that is I have to put two pieces together and cut it down to the size I want. I can't get wood thick enough for my needs so I have to glue two pieces together to get just what I want.

Once varnished you will be able to see the different grains in the wood. 




 I made the last two window sills today but with all the gluing it took two days waiting with drying time allowed before I could start the sanding. The sills in the long, tv room and bedroom are all different from each other that makes each room different from the others.

Now all the surrounds need to be cut shaped varnished and fitted.

Thanks to my mate

The law here is you can't have anything hanging out of the back of your van so 3mt long planks of timber are sadly to long for my van. I am lucky i have a friend who has roof bars and offered to bring my timber back for me. So of we went to the timber yard to get some timber to carry on with the jobs i have to do.

Today i cut one piece for one window and another for another window. I also cut two window sills and now everything needs planing and sanding. But another shopping trip for more wood glue and varnish so i better make the most of the time i have.

Where is he

This time of year for the last few years i have had a little friend come to see me. He never comes into my house even though most of the time the door is open.

My friend is a little Robin of the feathered type but sadly this year he is not here. Seeing him going from tree to tree was a way to pass the time. He never stayed long enough for me to take his picture, maybe he was shy. I was told today that they only live for three years so maybe he has passed away.

R.I.P little Robin you are very missed.

Best before/ best by

Every trip back to the UK i bring back Cheese or if i have a parcel sent over i have Cheese included in it. While going thrlough my stock of Cheese in my freezer i found one block about 800g and it was dated for 13/10/2015. OK so it's out of date but i use it in my egg poacher to make my poached eggs that bit different. Or Cheese omerlet with extra mature cheddar it just perfect and what better way to start a day.

Way back in about 1968

As the title says way back in about 1968 a girl friend and i parted. But last year we made contact again and i am very happy to wish her a very Happy Birthday for today.

Another window done

It's taken a while but with so much on the go at the moment  it's difficult get everything done at the same time. The stock of Chestnut timber i was able to buy due to it's size  didn't allow me to get everything done i would have liked.

I now have a compressor and it made the job of varnishing much easier so it looks so much better than i have done before.











I now have parts already cut for two other windows but i need to find another supply of Chestnut. The down side is so many of the timber yards have two prices one for locals and one for us English. So getting timber is getting expensive now Chicco has closed down.

My tank window

For a very long time i have wanted to get back into tropical fish. Going back to before i arrived here in Portugal i have been searching for tropical fish shops but had great difficulty finding any.
Ever since i found a couple of shops  last summer i wanted fish but me being me i wanted some think unique so that's why my tank will be about 5,000 litres in size.

This is the frame for the window at the front of the tank. The window is 1000mm X 500mm just the perfect size in relation to the tank size.

Here is the tank ready to have the window frame opening made. All the brickwork will be reinforced in still bar called Rebar to add further strength.

This is a 30,000 gallon tank i have been watching on Youtube but this tank is for Koi carp not tropical fish.

Started to varnish

Since i got my planer thicknesser i have been busy with all the timber i had in stock after i found a new supplier. I was able to cut parts for three windows that i want to surround in Chestnut. Because of the sizes of the timber i had i couldn't make up everything i need for just one window. I had a cutting list for three windows and i have just worked from that but at least i have got lots done.

The wood below is laid out after being varnished and everything has had it's first coat. Tomorrow i should get my much needed Dust extraction unit and new router all via UPS never late using them.

These are a window sill and the front architrave. Until i get more timber i will have to wait to complete this window. 

These are one side, a top and a top part for the architrave. 

here is a window sill, and two sides complete with the architrave fitted. Only one piece to complete this window.

Come to a halt

i was so pleased that I had got so many things started after receiving my latest machine a planer thicknesser. It was ok getting so much done and so much started until I broke a vital safety bracket on  one of my machines that I had to use next to cut all the wood I had prepared for round one of the Windows. I was able to get the sill completed but it's all the other pieces that I can't finish.

I had sent for an Orbital sander and now it's come I can get six bases for table lamps ready for varnishing. Now I need to learn how to use a spray gun so I can varnish the window parts for the frame and my table lamps.

My fish tank is a job I will get on with when I have nothing else to do. Today I went online to find the best price for lighting for the tank. Amazon UK £9.99 plus delivery. Amazon Germany 10.99€ plus delivery. But Amazon Spain 10.99€ for three 32.97€ free delivery and a 3€ discount. Sorry UK free delivery from Spain is a better deal.